The federal government’s solicitation for the design and construction of a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico has already drawn interest from nearly 200 construction and engineering firms, just days after the notice first appeared.

Companies from 41 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico have signaled their interest in being selected to work on President Donald Trump’s proposed southern border wall. As of Monday evening, about 180 different firms had answered the federal presolicitation, which the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency posted to the Federal Business Opportunities website on Friday.

The list suggests widespread interest in what could be one of the biggest—and most notorious—contracts of any infrastructure project planned by the Trump administration. Building a wall along some or all of the nation’s 2,000-mile-long southern border will require deep experience negotiating complex logistical, legal, and environmental challenges, depending on the scope of the project, about which little is yet known.

…Following a quick evaluation, the agency will have the field of candidates narrowed by March 20. The finalists will need to submit offers with their proposed costs by March 24.

A Customs and Border Protection spokesman said in an email that the purpose of the solicitation is to develop design standards for a border wall meant to further deter illegal entry into the country. The design and construction of the project are both to be expedited.

Prototyping is a common way to decide how best to design a structure such as the proposed border wall, said the spokesman.

“Through the construction of prototypes, CBP will partner with industry to identify the best means and methods to construct (the) border wall before making a more substantial investment in construction,” he said.

The term being applied to the pace at which the bidding process is being conducted is “breakneck“.

The extreme haste of the government’s procurement process is matched only by the breakneck speed with which the government plans to build the wall. A Reuters article cites an internal U.S. Department of Homeland Security report as saying that the government aims to finish the wall before the end of 2020.

During the campaign, candidate Trump promised that the wall is going to be “big” and “beautiful”. It will be fascinating to see the winning plans…in a few, short weeks!

Comments

I hope that it is more of a fence than a wall and that the support columns go way down into the ground to thwart tunnels. A fence structure will help to stop some of the environmental issues since the small critters will be able to cross the border.

I wonder if they could do the prototype concept for interstate health insurance?

Won’t work. People will take a little ball of C-4 to heat some coffee water, and before long you need some more C-4 for the claymore. Don’t ask how I know this. Hmmm! For a nice can of c-ration coffee. I have a pack of Pall Malls to trade.

I laugh when I read “breakneck speed” in reference to the federal government. I would bet a dollar on a dime that the time needed per mile of wall will still be long compared to, say, building a wall around Jeff Zuckerberg’s house, Obama’s house, or any private property needed protection.

Many road construction contracts have a reward/penalty clause. The construction time is agreed upon with enough flex for bad weather. You pay if you go over the date, you get more money if you finish ahead of time.